The Republic of Turkey

Paper Summary:

This paper relates the actions and beliefs of General Mustafa Kemal, known as Father Turk, who led the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923. The author stresses that Kemal transformed Turkey into a secular state where religious belief would be a matter of individual and personal conscience. The secular states still flourishes today although many Turks view their Islamic practices as incompatible with western philosophy, which creates a political tension. The paper contends that the history of the conflict between religion and secularism in Turkey is the story of the struggle between a state-imposed modernization and a people's resistance.

From the Paper:

"Kemal set up the foundations for a strong nation-state yet allowed repressive practices to seep in against the freedom of the press, which survive to this day. He put into place the necessary reforms to make Turkey a secular state. He abolished the constitutional provision, which decreed Islam as the state religion and the caliphate, which symbolized the Sultanate's religious authority. He removed the rest of Islamic institutions. He replaced these with Western laws, practices and principles. He introduced the use of the Latin calendar and alphabet."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Baldwin, Clint B. Thomas. Turkey. World Press Encyclopedia: Gale Res, 2002
• Brown, Yasmin Alibhai. Turkey's Battle for Secularism is Ours, Too. The (London) Independent: Independent Newspapers UK Limited, May 7 2007
• Cherry, Matt. When a Muslim Nation Enhances Secularization. Humanist: American Humanist Association, May-June 2002
• Oktem, Niyazi. Religion in Turkey. Brigham Young University Law Review: Reuben Clark Law School, 2002
• Royle, Trevor. The Rise of Religion Unsettles Secular Nation REALPOLITIK: Turkey. The Sunday Herald: New Quest Media Group, 2007

More papers on The Republic of Turkey:

• Term Paper # 110249 : "Turkey: Language Policy and Nationalism"
• Essay # 1299 : "The Turkish Republic and the Struggle for Human Rights"
• Research Paper # 46294 : "Turks in Modern World Politics"

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